Nina Marie Daniele—better known online as Nina Drama—is an American model, content creator, and playful sports reporter whose career stretches from the pages of Playboy to viral UFC backstage skits. Born on December 27, 1988, in Pelham, New York, she first drew global attention as Playboy’s April 2017 Playmate of the Month, then secured the coveted Playmate of the Year title for 2018.
Standing 5ʹ 9ʺ with quick wit to match, Nina has fused fashion and comedy into a social-media powerhouse: more than 4 million Instagram followers and 5 million on TikTok tune in for her jokes, sketches, and light-hearted fighter interviews.
Before Fame
Raised in a tight-knit Italian-American household in Pelham, Nina spent childhood afternoons scribbling poems rather than practicing runway walks. That literary streak led her to college, where she earned a degree in creative writing with a concentration in poetry and briefly pictured life as a writing teacher—or even an Air Force officer—before modeling stole the show.
Her long-time boyfriend, model and photographer Jhanelle Castillo, urged her to send snapshots to agencies, and by 2011 she was booking small catalog gigs. In 2017 she tried out for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, a leap that widened her portfolio to campaigns for Savage Fenty, Maybelline, Victoria’s Secret Pink, Michael Kors, and more.
Trivia
- Playboy milestones: April 2017 Playmate of the Month and 2018 Playmate of the Year—the first back-to-back honors for a New Yorker in decades.
- Viral humor: An Instagram reel lampooning wine culture soared past 24 million views, setting the tone for her parody-rich feed.
- UFC “curse”: Fans jokingly call her the “new Drake” because fighters she interviews—like Alex Pereira and Alexander Volkanovski—tend to lose soon after their chat.
- Pit-bull pal: Her rescue dog is a frequent co-star in sketches and modeling outtakes.
- Literary captions: She still drafts many posts by hand before uploading, crediting poetry workshops for her punchy one-liners.
Family Life
Nina credits her working-class parents for encouraging a creative path even when modeling felt risky. Though now based in Los Angeles, she often heads back to Pelham for family dinners.
Since 2011 she has shared life with Jhanelle Castillo; the pair celebrated their twelfth anniversary in 2022 and frequently collaborate on photo shoots and YouTube vlogs. Their household also includes the aforementioned pit bull, equal parts guard dog and comedian.
Associated With
- Playboy legacy: Nina follows Playmates like Brook Power and Dani Mathers in holding the annual title and has appeared at events honoring Playboy founder Hugh Hefner’s memory.
- UFC personalities: Her off-the-wall questions to champions such as Sean Strickland and Jon Jones routinely trend on MMA TikTok, and she has sparred (gently) with striker Sharaputdin Magomedov for a talkSPORT feature.
- Fashion collaborators: Brands ranging from Savage Fenty to Victoria’s Secret Pink have tapped her star power, while magazines like Vogue and Elle have run her editorials.
